An audio recording said to be the voice of Osama bin Laden called for Muslims to stage suicide attacks and join the Iraqi regime in any war against the United States.
Washington immediately seized upon the message as evidence that bin Laden's al-Qaeda network had a "common cause" with Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein.
The Al-Jazeera Arab television network broadcast the message it said was from bin Laden.
The speaker called on Muslims "especially in Iraq, to launch a jihad (holy war) against such an unjust campaign.
"We stress the importance of martyrdom operations against the enemy, these attacks that have scared Americans and Israelis like never before," he said.
"We advise about the importance of drawing the enemy into long, close and exhausting fighting, taking advantage of camouflaged positions in plains, farms, mountains and cities," the voice said.
The speaker urged the Iraqis to draw the Americans into urban combat, saying "the thing that the enemy fears the most is to fight a city war."
The speaker also told Iraqis not to worry about U.S. smart bombs and laser-guided weapons because "they work on only the clear, obvious targets." He encouraged Iraqis to use deception techniques to neutralize American technological superiority.
"All those who cooperate with the Americans against Iraq are hostile to Islam," said the speaker, adding that any Muslim regime which supports the United States would be declared to have abandoned the faith.
He also issued a fatwa (an Islamic decree), in which he said it would be acceptable for Muslims to fight alongside Saddam's "socialist apostates" against "the Crusaders."
In the tape, the purported bin Laden warns the governments of Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Yemen not to assist Washington in its "crusade" against Baghdad.
Commenting on Bin Laden's statements, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told Al-Jazeera: "He threatens everybody in the Arab world except Saddam Hussein, he says he wants to fight with Saddam Hussein.
"This does confirm that bin Laden and Saddam Hussein seem to find common cause together." And he added: "They are bound by a common hatred, that's what you have bin Laden confirming today."
"This didn't just threaten the United States, he threatened half-a dozen Arab governments," Boucher said. "He is threatening the whole world." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
